Fall shows up everywhere in Amish Country. Take a drive and you’ll come across plenty to take in. And the more you look around, the more signs of the season you’ll find

Harvest Is in Full Swing

This is one of the busiest times of year on local farms as horse-drawn equipment trundles across farm fields, grains are harvested, and fall produce is picked for canning. For visitors, all of that work creates a landscape that looks very different from just a few months ago.

Corn shocks are a quintessential sight this time of year. Shocking corn is an old harvesting method in which cut stalks are gathered upright so they can continue to dry, allowing them to be preserved for the months ahead when they’ll be used for animal feed and bedding.

To see more of fall farm life up close, stop at Yoder’s Amish Home near Walnut Creek. Visitors can tour two Amish homes, a barn and schoolhouse, take a buggy ride, and learn about daily life on the farm. 

You’ll see plenty of other signs of harvest, too. Pumpkins and gourds show up at farm markets and roadside stands, and mums fill porches and storefronts. Hershberger’s Farm & Bakery brings many of those fall favorites together with seasonal produce, fresh donuts, fry pies and other baked goods. In autumn, visitors can also take a wagon ride out to the field to pick a pumpkin. 

Fresh Cider From The Orchard

Of course, fall brings apples too.

Hillcrest Orchard near Walnut Creek has apples and fall is prime picking season. The orchard presses cider on site, using varieties that are ripe at the time. Hillcrest has found that a blend of about 75 percent sweet apples and 25 percent tart apples makes a good cider. 

Making cider is fairly simple. Apples are washed, ground into pulp and pressed to extract the juice. What is left behind is called pomace, a mix of skins, seeds and pulp that can be used for animal feed or compost.

Here is a number to remember the next time you pick up a gallon: it takes about 36 apples to make one gallon of cider. That is a lot of fruit in one jug.

Warm Up By The Fire

Wood stoves and fireplaces are still a common heat source here, and on cool autumn days the first wisps of smoke begin to appear from local homes and businesses.

Erb’s Stove Center, located on State Route 39 between Berlin and Walnut Creek, specializes in fireplaces and stoves, along with fire pits and other outdoor heating options. It’s a practical fall stop if your own home needs some attention before cold weather arrives. 

Welcome Back Sweater Weather

Cool fall weather means sweaters, soft layers, boots and jackets are back, and Amish Country has plenty of places to shop for the season.

Around Walnut Creek, bfearless. carries women’s clothing, shoes and accessories from brands including Birkenstock, TOMS, Steve Madden and Fossil. Nearby, Carlisle Gifts mixes clothing and jewelry with quilts, home décor and seasonal finds across three floors. In Berlin, Sheiyah Market brings fashion, home décor, plants and a coffee shop together in one stop.

Get Out and See the Color

By October, the woods and hills add another layer to the view as maples, oaks and hickories turn red, orange and yellow.

You can see plenty from the car along the Amish Country Byway, a 160-mile scenic route that connects Walnut Creek, Berlin, Millersburg, Killbuck, Loudonville and other communities through farm country, wooded hills and river valleys.

For a walk, Legacy Point Park has more than five miles of primitive trails through woods and open meadows. Or bring a bike and ride the Holmes County Trail, where bicyclists and walkers share portions of the trail with horses and buggies.

Stay a Little Longer

There’s plenty here to fill more than a day. The Inn at Honey Run offers lodging on a wooded property with hiking trails and the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum, while Carlisle Inn Walnut Creek puts you near the shops and restaurants of Walnut Creek with views across the surrounding farm valley. 

Fall is one of Amish Country’s busiest seasons, and weekend rooms can fill quickly. If September or October is on your calendar, book your stay early and give yourself time to enjoy the season.